Friday, 19 September 2014

Consistency and hobgoblins....

Consistency
and hobgoblins

Here’s a
thought: if, as Ralph Waldo Emerson once said ,“a foolish consistency is the
hobgoblin of small minds adored by little statesmen, philosophers and divines,”
then how do we measure “foolish” and when does one step over the line into little-mindedness?

I’ve often
argued that consistency in grammar, punctuation, capitalisation, spelling and
so on makes writing of any kind more readable. (Content helps too, of course.)
I think this is partly because I’ve slaved for years to dig out a clear message
or two from business texts too often lacking any consistent elements except
cliché and jargon.

I favour
consistency in any kind of writing, not just in texts aimed at readers but for words
written for speakers too. Take away punctuation, clarity, balance in sentence
length, a bit of rhythm to allow ideas to make links and breaths to be taken, and
you’ll find the speech is unreadable, unspeakable and generally insufferable.
Hough! Hough! Clipperty clop! I’m now a little statesman on his hobbyhorse.

Am I little-minded
by advocating consistency in these ways? Perhaps. But I think that Emerson was
referring to consistency as a kind of beast which inhibited exploration,
change, creative or even coruscating thoughts and ideas, rather than to
elements of style. I, by comparison, am referring to consistency as the sort of
beaky, dutiful cousin of style. You can see I'm in two minds one of which is wondering whether the other is a dullard.

Nevertheless,
even when you’re trying to keep the reins on a workable narrative
flow or style by being consistent, it’s good to bust out occasionally – if you
can get away with it. It’s like the clown on skis. He knows his art so well
that he can do astonishing acrobatics while appearing to be completely out of control.

My contention
is that if you want to write really well you need to know your art first and it really helps if you know what the rules are before you break them.

Actually most writing, particular in my hobgoblin sphere of
work, is not so much devoid of consistency making it unreadable but of content
which makes it unpalatable.

About Me

Welcome to Words Professional Writing Services. On this site we describe how copywriting in the right hands can be powerful, effective and valuable. Our work is not about shop-dressing and prettifying, but about conveying strengths, activities and aims – and compelling information. It's about demonstrating the value of goods, services and strategies. It's about making a direct appeal to people and other businesses. Often it's about setting the direction of travel and spelling out the vision.